Drabble Dabbles
by Litacanrana45
Summary: Short drabbles I want to write without having to include in a huge long story. I have so many I don't know what to do with. Now they have a home. :)
1. Strength

"Katara?" Zuko squinted as her figure appeared like magic from behind the trees. She walked forward slowly, without feeling, keeping her eyes forward as she approached and began passing him. He jogged over to her and reached to touch her, to make her stop.

"Hey, hey hey," he repeated, each time in more of a whisper as his hand touched the warm skin on her arm. She resumed her pace, his touch not fazing her in the slightest. His strong fingers wrapped gently around her wrist as his other hand went for her waist.

"Katara, are you okay?" She stopped then, her dead eyes looking into his worried ones as she struggled to find words. The tears formed, her eyes glistened with moisture as she looked down, trying to keep them in. Her head shook slowly in response before her gaze met with his again, heartbreak oozing from every one of her pores. Her body shrunk slightly then, her shoulders caving in as her body began shaking. He felt her trembling beneath his fingers as his free hand touched her chin, his other hand loosening its grip from her wrist and wrapping around her waist. Her hand moved to the one touching her face as her delicate fingers wound around his masculine ones. Her breathing became erratic as tiny whimpers escaped her lips. Her hands slid to his chest, grasping him like if she didn't she would disappear. His hand slid to the back of her head, his fingers winding through her hair as she finally crumbled, her face pressing into his chest as the sobs broke through. All he could do was hold her, brace her and give her the strength she didn't have.


	2. Close

It was the middle of the night when Katara began rustling in her sleep. Soft moans and jerking movements disagreed with whatever nightmare was haunting her subconscious. The motions woke Zuko who groggily looked to his side to see what the problem was. Katara sat up in a start, gasping as her eyes adjusted to the reality surrounding her. She breathed heavily as Zuko sat up next to her, putting his hand on her knee. She jumped at his touch, but softened when her eyes met his concerned face.

"Katara, you okay? You were having a nightmare."

"Yeah, I'm okay." She said shakily as she readjusted herself awkwardly under his touch. He quickly removed his hand from her personal space and motioned to lay back down.

"Alright…" He was nearly to the ground when Katara's panicked voice cut him off.

"Zuko I don't think I can sleep…" She confessed sadly, scooting closer to the warmth resonating from his body. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her.

"What can I do to help?" He wanted her to get some sleep, because the sooner she did, the sooner he would, but her face fell and looked confused, as if she were fighting an internal battle. He could tell she _knew_ what she wanted of him, she just didn't want to say it. "Tell me Katara, its okay, whatever it is."

"Okay…well, I just need to…" she hesitated, hers eyes dropping self consciously as she spoke her next words. "Be close…to you." She looked up and he looked confused.

"I don't understand. You're sleeping right next to me." Zuko was truthfully confused on what she meant by being _close_ to him. They were already sleeping next to each other, how much closer could they get? Zuko's mind wandered, but he quickly disregarded that implausible option. Katara look defeated as she started to lie back down.

"It's okay, never mind." She rolled over, her back now facing him as he exhaled in frustration. He laid down, his back flat against the ground as his brow furrowed in thought. He studied the stars above him as he contemplated if he should do what he _thought_ she wanted. She lay there so stiffly and silently that he knew she couldn't possibly be anywhere near sleep. Zuko was tired, but he didn't want to go back to sleep with her wide awake and feeling edgy. Without debating it any longer and wasting more precious hours of sleep, Zuko rolled over and fit her body into his, wrapping his arms around her in the process. Katara jumped from the startling contact, but once Zuko situated himself and rested, he could feel Katara's body melt into his warmth. Within minutes she dozed off and Zuko fell asleep with a satisfied smile on his face.


	3. Part I

Walking towards the lake, Zuko could not deny how much he looked forward to the soothing water. He had regrettably neglected his training while living life as a refugee in Ba Sing Se, so his body ached in protest at the extreme exertion he had been putting it through the past few days. It would pass once his muscles got used to the strain again, but until then, nightly dips in the lake would have to suffice for soothing the pain.

Wincing, he shuffled across the grass, uninterested in looking where he was going until he reached the water. His path was abruptly disturbed by a solid mass that he successfully barreled into, the contact sending waves of pain through his already throbbing joints. He groaned pathetically as he stumbled backwards, his temper rising as he prepared to berate the perpetrator. His head shot up angrily only to see a pair of equally fuming blue eyes staring back at him. Of ALL the people, he HAD to run into the one that hated his guts. _Perfect_.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Katara's voice scolded him fiercely. Zuko straightened up at her tone, his mouth tightening into a firm line.

"I didn't do it on purpose! I didn't see you." It was partially true anyways; he decided to leave out that he hadn't cared to watch where he was going in the first place.

"Well watch where you're going next time." Leave it to Katara to see through his lie. Her voice was lower but still carried the same venom to it. Zuko watched as she rubbed her arm tenderly and his face softened in response. She did well at getting under his skin and testing his already wavering temper and patience, so it should have been enough incentive for him to steer clear of her and just train the Avatar. For some reason though, he couldn't do that. He felt an infuriating desire to prove himself to her – something he was beginning to believe was impossible.

"I'm sorry," His voice was low as she glared at him. "Did I hurt you?"

He expected her to ignore him or berate him some more, but she just walked calmly into the water, her head turning slightly back to his direction.

"As if you _could_."

While he saw no sign of a smile, Zuko could have sworn her words were – teasing? He at least detected no hostility in them and took that for what it was. Once her knees were submerged beneath the water, she turned back to him and Zuko was unprepared for what happened next.

He guessed it was because he had never really _looked_ at her before; though he had _always_ been blinded by everything else around him in his hunt for the Avatar. Now, he couldn't help but admire the girl before him. She had undoubtedly grown during her time traveling with the young monk. Memories of their first encounter came back to him; her thin cool wrists secured in his firm hands, her small frame against the tree, her shrill voice and immature ranting – she had been a child then. But the girl before him now, she was nothing like that young girl that needed saving from the pirates. Her body was beginning to fill out – her curves hugging more prominently against her white wrappings, the muscles on her firm thighs and sculpted stomach now much more defined, the roundness on her face had melted off and her cheekbones framed a pair of dazzling deep blue eyes. Her long brown hair hung loosely along her shoulders and he realized how much more he liked it like that – wild and free.

Katara continued deeper into the water until her body slowly submerged itself until the cool moisture was leveled just under her breasts which bobbed carelessly above and below the liquid. She looked strangely calm, yet serious and focused. It unnerved Zuko when her eyes focused on him and the faintest smirk touched at her lips, her eyes sparkling mischievously as her fingers played at the surface of the water.

"You know, I usually use this as my alone time. Your presence is kind of ruining that."

"Oh – I – I didn't know, I can go if-" Zuko stuttered out quickly as his feet began back peddling but Katara shook her head.

"No, it's okay. It might be fun to have someone watch. Do you want to know what I do with my alone time Zuko?"

Zuko suddenly felt incredibly uneasy as Katara's hands disappeared under the water. There was a few moments of agonizing silence before Katara's eyes fluttered closed, her chest rising deeply before an exhale allowed the faint ghost of a moan to escape her lips. The water was churning lightly in front of her, her invisible hands doing some type of motions that Zuko couldn't see. When he watched Katara's chest rise and fall more rapidly as the moments rolled forward, the moans became more frequent and louder and it was as if the light bulb finally switched on. Zuko stumbled back, heat rising to his face as his core twisted, the pressure shooting downwards. He tried to tell his feet to move, to flee as fast as he could but it was impossible; he couldn't pry himself away from watching her. Zuko's shaky legs refused to hold his weight any longer and his knees buckled, causing him to fall quickly to his bottom. He could feel his own chest rising and falling more frequently, his breath catching each time he heard her soft moans carry to his frozen form. His fingers dug into the soft ground beneath him, his body pleading for release. Katara's head was bent back exposing her long glistening neck, her breasts continuously peeking out from under the water, revealing her protruding nipples.

Just as Zuko's hands began traveling to his own body, Katara's head rolled forward and her cerulean eyes connected with his amber ones. Zuko's hands froze, his chest stopping its erratic movements as he sucked in his breath, her gaze boring into his. The beautiful blue eyes locked on him were hooded from her own ecstasy as her hands resurfaced from beneath the water, one limb rising towards Zuko with a long finger curling him forward. Zuko was still cemented in his spot on the ground, her invitation hanging in the air. Zuko's body urged him to go, pleaded for him to run into the water, but the small voice of his mind was struggling to fight against it. The conflicting desire and logic resulted in his frozen form, and Katara grew restless. He watched as that devilish smirk found its way to her lips again before she began her slow trek towards him. Zuko's heart pounded dangerously in his chest as her glistening form immerged from the liquid, the wraps doing little to conceal her body.

When Katara's feet touched the solid ground, Zuko dared not look up to her for fear of losing what little control he had over himself. It wasn't until he saw two brown hands descending towards him that he glanced up to the face looking down so seductively at him. Zuko slid his hands into hers without question and she pulled him to his feet where he soon easily towered her. She kept the space between them minimal before wrapping her nimble fingers under the hem of his shirt, pulling up in encouragement as Zuko lifted his arms for the fabric to glide off easily over his head. Once the fabric floated to the ground, Katara slid her cool hands up Zuko's chest, causing goose bumps to rise under his skin. She took her time studying the motions of her hands on his skin and the reaction she was creating before she allowed her eyes to meet his again. Zuko had been too caught up to concern himself with Katara's behavior up until that point, but seeing her now, having her touch him, he couldn't stop the nagging voice in the back of his head from questioning her odd behavior.

Zuko shifted, his hands remaining firmly at his sides as Katara slid hers up and to the nap of his neck which caused him to clear his throat awkwardly.

"Katara – you do remember you hate me, right?"

Katara couldn't stifle a laugh; her head dropped slightly as the giggle pulsed through her body. Once she regained her composure, her chin lifted and she shook her head gently.

"No, I don't hate you Zuko – if you haven't noticed, I actually kind of like you."

Once again, her voice was teasing – but her words were sincere, Zuko was sure from her unwavering gaze. She tightened her grip on his neck as his hands moved to place themselves on her slender hips.

"When – why? I mean, how?"

Zuko stuttered miserably at her confession and Katara once again giggled in amusement.

"I hadn't realized it at first myself – but after Ba Sing Se, I couldn't stop thinking about you. About what you did, what we had talked about, what could have been had you chosen differently. I was angry because you took all those possibilities away. But the one thing I couldn't stop thinking about was how you made me feel. I've never felt that way around anyone before."

"But I thought you and Aang…"

Zuko's words faded away as Katara shook her head.

"There is no 'me and Aang.' He'd like for there to be – but I don't want him." Her words were low, her body pressing into his at her last words. She rose to her toes and slid her lips to his ear so her breath tickled at the sensitive skin. "I want _you_."

Zuko's grip tightened before his hands slid around to her back keeping her firmly against him. Zuko turned his head towards hers, their noses just barely touching as Katara's hand slid to Zuko's maimed cheek where it continued down his strong jaw and rested firmly on his taut neck. Their soft breath mingled together through the pair before Katara broke the trance by licking her bottom lip.

"But I've been with you guys for months now, why tonight?"

Zuko still couldn't see that, if Katara _did_ have feelings for him ever since he joined their group, why she was only acting on it now. She looked a bit sheepish before her eyes momentarily darted up towards the sky. Looking back to Zuko, she raised a finger that pointed to the large glowing moon above them.

"Clearly you don't know what the full moon does to a water bender."

"Then why have you – " Zuko couldn't shut his brain off as Katara sighed.

"Zuko, do you want to stand here and question me all night or are you going to kiss me?"

Her statement was all it took to wash the questions from Zuko's buzzing mind. His attention was immediately focused solely on the girl in front of him who was inviting him to do what he had daydreamed about for months. Zuko knew Katara had seen the resolve in his now relaxed features as she slid her hand up to his cheek. Zuko moved to her and, as if not able to wait a moment longer, Katara moved to meet him. As their lips met, a spark of passion ignited. Zuko had expected a tame gentle kiss, assuming Katara was inexperienced at this sort of thing – so he had been momentarily caught off guard when it had been anything but that. Katara caught Zuko's unexpected open lips with her own and shot her tongue into his hot mouth, starting a tantalizing rhythm that issued a satisfied moan from the young water bender. Feeling his lack of enthusiasm, Katara wound her hand into his thick hair and gave it a gentle tug which worked to turn Zuko's brain back on. His hands darted to her face where he secured them on either side of her thin jaw and he deepened their kiss which had Katara melting into his body. Her reaction encouraged him to use his hands to explore; both taking their own journeys down the planes and curves of her body before making a rest behind her where he was able to pull her closer to him. His enthusiasm caused her to press into him on her tippy toes where he could feel a smile spread through their kiss.

Katara pulled her lips away and Zuko's followed after greedily. Her smile deepened as she nuzzled her nose against his face, tightening her grip around his broad shoulders. Zuko sighed contently before she grasped his face gently in her hands, placing a sweet, chaste kiss upon his lips before pulling away. She kept her eyes on him as she teasingly slid her hands down his arms to his hands and let her fingertips brush over his own as she walked backwards. Zuko watched as she moved her hands to behind her back where they worked to untie her bindings. Zuko's mouth went dry as he watched the fabric now loose in her fingers but still hiding what they were meant to hide. Katara smirked and turned, letting the fabric fall loosely to the floor, revealing her finely toned back. Her hands slipped beneath the hem of her bottom and pulled and Zuko was surprised to see she was not afraid to bare herself to him. He took in the sight of her rounded backside leading down to perfectly toned, strong thighs. Katara caught him ogling and smiled before turning to the water and walking in. Once the liquid was to her waist she dove into the depths and swam farther, Zuko still staring like a moron from land. When she resurfaced, she twisted a teasing finger to him that got him moving. He stumbled forward, pulling at his own pants before disrobing and entering the water.


End file.
